The scenery outside the window blurred past as the maglev train hurtled forward. Seated aboard, Feng Lin's eyes brimmed with anticipation for what lay ahead.
Originally, after leaving school, he had planned to head straight home.
But then Klot and his crew had come bearing gifts like some kind of money-delivering cherubs, handing over a hundred thousand star coins. With such sincere goodwill, how could Feng Lin refuse?
He changed his mind on the spot.
Money not spent was no different from scrap paper.
Feng Lin was severely malnourished. With so many star coins, he could buy who knew how many nourishing items. This hundred thousand was like a lifeline in a snowstorm!
What good people!
In his heart, he wanted to send Klot and the others a bunch of little red flowers as encouragement.
Feng Lin suppressed his joy.
Soon, he reached his destination. Before him stood a towering skyscraper a thousand stories high, like a celestial pillar piercing the clouds. Its carved beams and painted walls blended ancient elegance with a futuristic feel.
This was the landmark of Huaxia City—the Thousand Gold Tower!
The city's largest commercial hub, a thousand stories tall, said to sell everything imaginable from across the galaxy.
And the higher the floor, the more precious the goods.
"Welcome, esteemed customer, to the Thousand Gold Tower. We offer a wide selection of interstellar goods, genuine and fairly priced. We wish you a pleasant visit..." As Feng Lin approached, the first-floor doors slid open silently, and a crisp, pleasant electronic female voice rang out.
Stepping inside, Feng Lin felt only one thing: sheer grandeur.
The interior was a spiraling structure, rising in loops, bathed in brilliant light, with no end in sight.
Each floor was a circular corridor lined with dazzling shops, customers drifting in and out.
Feng Lin connected his identity chip to the Thousand Gold Tower's infinite network.
A cascade of information streams poured down, images of various goods flashing by: nutrient fluids of all flavors and types, the latest clothing, new-feature virtual game bio-pods... everything imaginable, and none of it too expensive.
Star coins were a stable currency issued by the Interstellar Human United Government, with impressive purchasing power.
Luxuries like gold, silver, jewelry, and cosmetics often cost just a few hundred star coins.
In truth, with humanity's technological advances, these once-precious Earth-era luxuries could now be synthesized cheaply, becoming commonplace. What truly held value were cultivation resources.
Those were things that could change the very essence of life—strengthening genes, extending lifespan...
Such items were rare, mostly naturally occurring, often found only on harsh, inhospitable planets, with enormous acquisition costs.
Only a few types could be artificially synthesized, and even then at sky-high prices. For instance, super-protein—a single small can cost over a thousand star coins.
Scarcity drove value!
Even the most basic cultivation resource was astronomically expensive!
Feng Lin had no interest in luxuries. What he wanted were cultivation resources.
"Such good people!" he marveled, once again praising Klot and his crew as selfless benefactors. Not only did they have mines at home, but they also loved helping others, gifting him a fortune.
Otherwise, with Feng Lin's background, how could he afford to spend in such a lavish place?
"Welcome, honored guest! Welcome to the Thousand Gold Tower. We have goods from every corner of the galaxy—if you can think it, we have it!" A gentle voice accompanied a cascade of light that coalesced into a virtual human figure, lifelike, standing before Feng Lin.
It was a classical Eastern beauty with black hair and black eyes, her gaze like autumn waters, her face serene and soft, her figure graceful and elegant—unforgettable.
"Your intelligent virtual shopping assistant is at your service! Your needs are my highest command!" The virtual beauty smiled sweetly, her words making one's heart skip a beat, sparking endless fantasies.
But in the end, it was just fantasy. Virtual was virtual, not real.
Feng Lin wasn't surprised. This was one of the Thousand Gold Tower's features—virtual beauty assistants.
Unlike the ancient Earth era, shopping in the interstellar age was a painful chore.
The galaxy was vast, resources infinite, and new products emerged every moment. If one tried to browse everything, a lifetime wouldn't be enough.
The Thousand Gold Tower had far too many items for an ordinary person to sift through. Searching on one's own would be futile.
The human brain couldn't memorize the detailed origins and info of so many products. So the tower used virtual simulation technology to create these virtual assistants.
These assistants were highly intelligent, capable of normal conversation with humans, and could adapt to customers of different genders and races. But they were always handsome men or beautiful women, varying in build and figure, pleasing to the eye. They guided customers to purchases, explaining each item's details and origins, ensuring a worry-free shopping experience.
Feng Lin glanced around. Every customer in the mall was being led by a specific virtual assistant, heading off in targeted directions.
As a pure-blooded Huaxian, the mall's optical computer automatically identified him and generated a classical Eastern beauty, perfectly suiting his taste.
Interstellar technology was incredibly advanced, permeating every aspect of human life and offering countless conveniences.
Feng Lin had thoroughly researched the Thousand Gold Tower before coming, so he wasn't caught off guard. He naturally asked, "Where can I buy cultivation resources?"
"Follow me!" The virtual beauty smiled, her form as real as life, walking ahead. As she moved, she explained in detail with a warm smile: "As everyone knows, the higher the floor in the Thousand Gold Tower, the more precious the goods! Below the 200th floor are ordinary items. Above the 200th floor are rare cultivation aids—techniques, potions, monster meat... everything you can imagine, and more! But even so, there are 800 floors to cover. Blindly searching would be a waste of time. So, dear customer, tell me what you want, and I can recommend the most affordable and highest-quality shops!..."
The virtual assistant's voice was as melodious as a lark, unhurried and clear, laying out the tower's details meticulously.
Feng Lin nodded inwardly, gaining useful insights.
It was his first time here, lacking experience and familiarity. With the virtual beauty's guidance, he had nothing to worry about.
As for what to buy...
Feng Lin already had a plan. The top priority was solving his nutritional deficit and the drain on his life force. Everything else could wait.
This involved his future cultivation path, so he couldn't afford any carelessness.
Suddenly, he recalled a famous gene potion among cultivators—the Life Potion.